Patients having a femur fracture or total implant surgery have their upper and lower legs supported in bed during the healing process. The upper leg is typically enclosed in a relatively loose sleeve and the lower leg is enclosed with a plaster cast. The sleeve and the cast are hinged together to enable the patient to bend the knee to prevent atrophy of the muscles, the hinges being positioned to be actuated in accordance with the bending of the knee. The leg is held upwardly from the bed by a cord having one end connected to the sleeve and the other end connected to the cast. A spring is fitted in the cord adjacent the connection to the cast to permit easy up and down movement of the lower leg, and easy bending of the knee.
One type of prior art hinges has ratchets at the pivot points to permit knee bending but is constructed to not permit lateral movement relative to the leg. This type of hinge provides a severe disadvantage in the cae of patients having a relatively large diameter thigh and a relatively thin calf.
Another type of prior art hinge is made of polypropylene and while it permits lateral movement for fitting on heavy thighs and smaller calves, it is relatively rigid as a hinge and makes it difficult for a patient to bend the knee. The present invention overcomes the disadvantages of the two prior art hinges in that it provides easy fitting on large thighs and small calves, and also permits easy bending of the knee.